Thomas Markle Speaks Out For The First Time

Donald Trump, Brexit, Prince Harry and more.

It's been a rough couple of months for Thomas Markle, but in an exclusive interview with Good Morning Britain, the father of the Duchess of Sussex has finally opened up about his relationship with the royal family, not walking Meghan down the aisle, and what it feels like to have a prince as a son-in-law.

The days leading up to the royal wedding were unquestionably filled with drama -- after Thomas's staging of several paparazzi shots, he was then unable to attend the ceremony due to ill health.

Speaking candidly to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid, Thomas welled up when asked about the embarrassing chain of events. He spoke about how the staged photos were "a mistake", and told how he later apologised to Meghan and Harry, saying they were "very forgiving".

"They were disappointed. Meghan cried, I'm sure -- she did cry -- and they both said, 'Take care of yourself we are really worried about you.' They said the important thing is that I get better," he recalled.

The double-Emmy-award-winning former lighting director also spoke about the first time he heard about his daughter's new boyfriend and soon-to-be husband, adding that Harry was an "interesting guy".

"Harry asked for her hand over the phone and I said: 'You're a gentleman, promise me you'll never raise your hand against my daughter and of course I will grant you my permission,'" he said.

When asked about how it felt that his daughter was marrying a prince, he said, "My daughter has been a princess since the day she was born."

The conversation turned political for a brief moment when Thomas spoke about how during his few conversations with the Duke the pair had discussed issues such as Brexit and Donald Trump.

Thomas confessed he "didn't like Donald Trump", to which Harry apparently replied, "give Donald Trump a try". While he disagreed with Harry, he said he still appreciated the 33-year-old Duke's views.

When Pierce questioned whether he thought Harry was indeed a Trump supporter, Thomas replied, "I would hope not now. But at the time he might have been".

On a lighter note, Thomas said he was "honoured" that Prince Charles could walk Meghan down the aisle, but admitted he will always regret not being there on the day.

“The unfortunate thing for me now is I’m a footnote in one of the greatest moments in history rather than the dad walking her down the aisle. That upsets me somewhat," he said.

“Everybody was watching my daughter and I couldn’t have been more proud. And like I said, how could I ask for a better replacement than Charles? I just wish it could have been my hand holding my daughter’s not his, but I think he was wonderful for doing it."

He added that despite being a very emotional time for him, he was thankful for the way the big day turned out.

"I was very proud. I was very upset that it wasn’t me but the whole world was watching my daughter. I was very happy about that,” he said.

In a touching moment, Thomas told Piers and Susanna that he while he did tune in to watch his daughter marry Prince Harry, it was from a small rented property that a friend had apparently organised for him.

Piers seemed to take pity on Thomas, saying he understood he was "just a regular guy, clearly, that got plunged into this world". He added that having to deal with the media and press is difficult at the best of times, and that people were more or less sympathetic to his feelings.

While there's been plenty of drama surrounding the Markle family's checkered past, it appears people are willing to forgive and forget -- if not embrace -- their indiscretions -- and Thomas Markle sure has had a few of those.